Seeking Avalon
by Veleager
Summary: A group of knights find themselves waking up in a strange and unfamiliar land. With the vague and questionably helpful guidance of a certain Magus, they will attempt to save their King and find a way back home while leaving a profound effect on the world they happened to visit.
1. Moonlit Arrival

**Chapter 1 - Moonlit Arrival**

They awoke one after another. The Knight of the Lake rose first, Bedivere last. Seven bodies had been lying on the ground, at the outskirts of a forest. They would have remained in a deep slumber until morning, had a light rain not stirred them awake. Now, six of them stood, bathed in moonlight, but one did not move still. The body of Arturia Pendragon, King of Britain, lay motionless before her knights.

Concern and confusion gripped the gathered men as they formed a circle around their King. On her face was a pained expression, accompanied by ragged and shallow breaths. They knew not what to make of this. Not of their surroundings, not of their slumbering King. Perhaps they would have held council then and there if not for the rain and the darkness of the night bearing down on them. Though it was only natural for the knights to be distraught, the confused glances they shared with one another betrayed the deeper "wrongness" they felt, beyond even the condition of their King. They were not in Camelot, they were not in the Throne of Heroes nor were they on Earth. Perhaps more intriguing than just that they were in a place unknown to them, they did know what to call it. Earthland. Alongside that name came some of the knowledge the Grail would impart upon a summoned Servant. Chief among those was the mastery of the spoken tongue, but also an understanding of history, culture and civilization, though not as in-depth as Servants would expect. Perhaps it was as it should be. Being granted incomplete knowledge for a world that was completely alien to them, unlike Earth which most Servants experienced in their lifetime in one form or another prior to their summoning. But, this clearly wasn't a Holy Grail War to begin with. They had no masters before them, nor did they feel as though it were the Grail which had pulled them into existence.

Still, the knights were granted enough insight to know of the kingdom they found themselves in and to be aware of the fact that magic, although not commonplace among the populous, was an accepted and integral part of life. Possessing that knowledge did little to ease their worries however, as the land was still ultimately foreign to them and their King was no less in peril than before.

They moved with purpose and grim silence shared between them. Leaving the forest behind, it did not take them long to discover a coastline and move along it, aiming to find civilization on the shore. Their plans bore fruit surprisingly quickly. A town, modest in size and without walls, but filled with plenty infrastructure and even a massive church, though from what knowledge they had of the world the knights knew that Christianity did not exist. As such the very first idea they had, to seek refuge and help at the church fell through, as they did not know the disposition of those who inhabited it, even if they were to find any clergy present at this hour of the night. They also knew better than to knock on the doors of random houses, it would at best arouse suspicion and at worst have them branded as vagabonds.

For a second time on this odd night, luck seemed to favour them however, as the third option that presented itself to them was a feasible one. It was an abandoned and dilapidated, if grand building. Not on par with the splendor Camelot had to offer or even a modest fort, but it did stand out among the more pedestrian buildings which surrounded it. Perhaps under different circumstances the group of knights would have questioned the nature or the history of the building, but given pressing nature of the matter at hand, they gave it no second thought as they settled on the building as their shelter for the night. Once out of the rain and inside the building they would hold council and decide what course to take.

By morning they'd be gone.

* * *

"And so it would seem that a disheartening situation has been thrust upon us. Or perhaps, it'd be more apt to say that we were thrust into a disheartening situation ourselves." Agravain finished surmising their situation with the rest of the knights nodding along in agreement with his assessments. Agravain had taken to leading the meeting from the very start. Although the other knights had little love for him, none of them had interest in taking charge themselves, and Agravain was after all the one with the most experience in matters of this kind.

Their King had been laid on a table and the knights had gathered around him. Their only source of light was a couple of candles they had found in this building, which to them seemed no more than an oversized tavern from the inside. They discussed their situation and shared the knowledge they had amongst themselves. It didn't take them long to come to the understanding that their experiences and insights were the same. Bedivere was the only one who found himself nodding along a bit more reluctantly. Something was wrong to him. Not just about the situation or the world they were in, but about his companions as well. They spoke of Camelot, they spoke of the war and of what happened to King Arthur… yet they did not speak of the Holy City, the Lion King or Rhongomyniad. Bedivere was convinced these were the same men he had met and fought in the Singularity, yet none of them seemed to recall. He glanced at his side for a moment. His eyes were met with the empty space rather than the glimmer of Airgetlam. Indeed, he was the same Bedivere he was in life. Even the King laid before them had the form of the one he knew and followed rather than the godlike entity known as the Lion King.

Was it him who was mistaken? Were all those memories a dream? If so it would have been a truly strange dream. Thinking about it even for a moment, Bedivere regained his confidence and banished all doubt from his mind. He didn't have all the answers yet, but he was certain that they had all come from the Singularity. Besides him there were five more knights, Lancelot, Gawain, Mordred, Tristan and Agravain. All the Knights of the Round Table he had met in the Singularity.

Furthermore, there was something about his companions that made them seem more mellow than usual, their personalities which set them apart and at odds with one another at times were muted somewhat. Perhaps it was a side-effect of having spent a long time under the Lion King's control. In any case it was a fortunate change as it made cooperation easier. Although Agravain was incredibly competent at unifying the knights, without King Arthur's voice to guide them Bedivere feared old animosities would surface again. For the time being at least, it seemed like a worry that he could put to rest.

However, there was a far more pressing difference which existed between him and the other knights, one that couldn't be ignored or put off for later so easily. It concerned what their course of action would be in this strange land. Everyone else gave sensible if somewhat general suggestions. Find shelter, ensure the King's safety, find a way back. When Bedivere thought about it, they all seemed more akin to wishes than concrete plans. Glancing at Agravain, he seemed to think so too, but even if he did, their de facto leader did not voice his thoughts.

Lancelot, Gawain and Tristan had already spoken, and now it was Bedivere's turn to speak his mind. The one-armed knight took a deep breath and spoke. "I think we should find Avalon."

Of course he was met with confused looks almost immediately. Not only did the suggestion not make sense to his companions, considering just where they were right now, it was also rather unlike Bedivere to suggest something like that so bluntly. In truth, the declaration seemed so unlike Bedivere, because the words he spoke were not his.

The other knights had said that it was rain that woke them back in the forest. Bedivere had nodded along then, but that hadn't been quite the truth of it. He was the last of the knights to regain his senses, and rather than rain it was words which had awoken him. They were spoken in a familiar, almost infuriating, voice which any of the knights present would have recognized. Though he had not seen his form, Bedivere still remembered Merlin's voice echo in his mind.

"Seek Avalon. That is all the guidance I can offer for now."

Seeing the confused and questioning gazes of his companions settle on him, Bedivere quickly continued. "Before I woke up in the forest, Merlin came to me in my dreams and told me that we should do so." he shared the advice he received with the other knights, who all immediately sunk into thought, all except Agravain who responded to Bedivere almost reflexively.

"Bedivere, do you claim to speak for the Magus of Flowers now?" though the words were those of an innocuous question, Agravain's tone was one of admonishment. It was sometimes difficult to tell what words would set off the King's adjutant and Bedivere's explanation had apparently just done so. Agravain had not simply lashed out because of the claim Bedivere made, but also because the sliver-clad knight had kept the information to himself up till now.

"N-No, I was just-" Bedivere fumbled, if it had been his own plan to begin with perhaps he would have had a defense ready, but being caught off guard on a subject he himself did not fully understand made it all too difficult to bear the weight of Agravain's judgment.

"Agravain, has Bedivere not always been true and loyal to us all? Not just as a friend, but as a fellow knight? His dedication to the King is second to none among us." the man who spoke up in Bedivere's defense was Tristan, and although he was the only one speaking, the rest were nodding along, even Mordred did not deny it. "We all had our faults in life, we had our differences, and we all know how it ended. Let us not repeat mistakes so fresh that they still sting like wounds. I am saying that we have no cause to mistrust a word that comes from Bedivere's mouth. Perhaps this is our chance to mend some things which were broken, recover what was lost. To this day I call each and every one of you my friends still. If you cannot do the same, then I beg of you at least make due until we can return where we belong and until His Majesty is safe." as Tristan finished silence gripped the group. It barely took a moment for the group to erupt into murmurs of agreement. Bedivere breathed a sigh of relief as the scene unfolded. For the first time since they had arrived in this world there seemed to be some levity between them.

"Ever the one for big platitudes aren't ya Tristan?!" Mordred laughed while slapping the only Archer among them on the back. In any other context it would have looked like Mordred was mocking him, but given their unique situation Bedivere could tell the knight meant well. Their up till now grim expressions were replaced with faint smiles. Of course Agravain's visage was as neutral as ever, but the other knights knew him well enough that even he approved of Tristan's words.

Bedivere thought back to what he had considered before, how the characters of his friends had been numbed by the Lion King's gifts and how that was the reason that they managed to tolerate one another at the moment. Perhaps he had been wrong. He might have underestimated his lifelong friends and he might have underestimated how cynical his outlook was at that moment. Maybe it really was as Tristan had said, this was another chance for all of them to undo the harm they caused, both to each other and to their King.

They agreed that come the morning light, they would set off on their search to find a path to Avalon. Hopefully the Kingdom of Fiore would treat them with courtesy as knights of another kingdom. Gaining such support would go a long way in helping them with their search.

The knights remained gathered around their King, content to spend the night in conversation with one another.

* * *

It was unbecoming of him to sneak out in the night. He was far too old for this sort of thing and his position would hardly tolerate it, he was setting a bad example after all. But what other choice did he have? Macao Conbolt, 4th Guild Master of Fairy Tail left the guild building in secrecy and made his way through the empty streets of Magnolia. Though his magic could be used to light the way, he did not use it. The moon above was just bright enough and Macao knew the way he was taking all too well. This was not the first time that he was sneaking out of the new guild building under the cover of night. With the small tavern serving as their headquarters being on the outskirts of the town, it took Macao a while to get to his destination, doubly so because he wasn't in a hurry.

He paused for a moment when he arrived in front of Fairy Tail's old home. The building was older than even their old Guild Master, it had been home to so many generations of great mages, yet now it stood abandoned and forgotten by those who once knew it as the strongest guild in all of Fiore. Macao blamed himself of course, those who were left had chosen him to be their Guild Master, and it was under his leadership that the guild crumbled. Of course everyone assured him that it wasn't his fault and that it was only natural for the guild to falter when so many of its members disappeared. Whatever the incident at Tenrou Island was, it surely had marked one of Fairy Tail's darkest days.

Macao visited the old building for two reasons. The first one was wholly personal, a sense of nostalgia and longing for the good old days. He admitted, it was weak, shameful, pathetic even, but he did it all the same. The other reason was the one which gave some dignity to these secret visits of his. Although Makarov had never officially passed the title of Guild Master onto him, the old man did tell him some things from time to time. Macao knew that Makarov's first choice for a new Guild Master was always going to be Gildarts, but he wasn't around often enough to reliably take care of some of the day to day operational tasks a guild was concerned with. Chiefly among them was paperwork of all sorts, but there had been something else, something far more crucial. Makarov once told Macao, in a voice far removed from his usual joking suggestions and teases about making him the next Guild Master, that if something were to ever happen to him, Macao had to make sure the guild building did not fall into the wrong hands. At first Macao had thought it an obvious thing, the guild was their home, of course they would never allow it to be occupied by someone else. Yet, Makarov's warning was one made out of fear of, rather than simple sentimental concern. There was something at the old guild building. Macao did not know what, but he understood well enough that no one could be allowed to find it.

And so he made regular visits to the building which stood in front of him. Making sure it was still abandoned and forgotten and that nothing was out-of-place.

"One day we'll get it back…" Macao whispered to himself as he entered.

So far each one of his visits had been uneventful, safe for the first one when he ended up breaking down and crying, spending the night on the dusty floor of what used to be their home. He had never found something unusual and worrying however. At most he could hear the faint noise of rats and other similar animals which had made the abandoned building their home.

This night was different however, he could tell as soon as he entered.

Right in the middle of the main hall, there was a light. A faint one, produced by a small lantern or fire most likely. That alone was enough of a shock, but Macao not wanting to fumble convinced himself it was a couple of vagabonds who had taken refuge in the building for the night, nothing which had any connection with Master Makarov's warning.

"Hey! Better pack up and get lost, this isn't a hotel for vagrants! If you know what's good for you, you better scram." he yelled out as he approached the source of the light, spotting several figures gathered around it. Macao had one arm stretched out ready to use his magic. Of course he had no intention of injuring the intruders, but he had a feeling that a show of force would be needed to intimidate them, otherwise they were unlikely to listen to a middle-aged man who technically wasn't even the owner of the place.

"Who goes there?" a voice boomed back at Macao, exuding a lot more authority than he could muster, and in far fewer words than him as well.

When Macao got close enough to see the figures gathered around the light his jaw dropped and he simple stared. Six men in armor, the spitting images of knights, gathered around a seventh one on the table.

What a truly strange sight.

* * *

Somewhere in a world far removed from this one. Far removed from any other world perhaps an all too familiar and infuriating voice rang out.

"Ah, how funny it will be once they learn how close to the solution they were that night. But it's for the best like this. A journey's the best teacher after all."

* * *

Author's Notes

Well I can't believe I actually did it. Hello everyone, first of all thanks for actually reading this far. This is my first fanfiction ever and I wasn't quite sure how this first chapter was going to turn out. I've had ideas like this for a while, but this was the first one that really got me going about sitting down and writing it. A part of me is worried this might be a bit too overambitious for my first writing project, but we'll see how it goes. All comments and criticism are greatly appreciated.

This chapter is a bit on the shorter side since I really just wanted to get the set up and intro out of the way, without going into too much detail. I've got quite a few work obligations and I'm not sure how frequently I'll be updating this given that I like to plan stuff out but I'll do my best to keep the chapters going. The idea for the story went through quite a few iterations, in fact at first I was going to drop all of Chaldea into Fairy Tail but I've figured that it would be just a tad bit too much and I'd much rather work with a tightly knit group who all have a connection to one another. As I said, my primary goal here was to set up the premise, I hope the cues I've given about characters, where they are from/at and what the timeframe is will be sufficient to place everything. I'm primarily a Fate fan and if I keep writing fics beyond this one it will probably be various Fate crossovers. Fairy Tail I've watched in its entirety (safe for filler arcs), though I'm hardly as familiar with as I am with Fate, so if I make some mistakes about the setting please yell at me.

I have quite a bit of the fic planned out as is, so I can say that this isn't necessarily going to be a "nuke the plot" kind of story, but I do not seek to retell whole scenes from Fairy Tail word for word either, so feel free to consider this an AU to Fairy Tail in the sense that changes will be made even beyond those that come naturally from the presence of the Knights of the Round Table. And of course there will be some big changes that come about from the knights as well. Some changes are there to not retell scenes, some changes will be there to attempt and improve some elements of Fairy Tail I found to be lacking.

Either with the release of the second chapter or maybe even before that I intend to release Servant cards for the Knights since I don't intend to follow the Grand Order set up 1:1 for their abilities and NP.

Another thing that I want to do here is ask you all to cast a small vote (I considered making a poll but it feels a bit overblown). The voting can be done all the way up till I release the second chapter so don't be shy about doing it even if you're a bit late to the party.

The thing I want to know is whether or not you'd like to see other Knights of the Round Table make an appearance (particularly those we haven't seen in canon). I can say right now that at least one more knight will join the current cast (feel free to guess who it is though I imagine it's rather obvious), though there might be a poll connected to that as well at some point in the future. Anyway! For now I really just want to hear if people want more knights or if keeping it close to the current number is way to go.

Thanks again for reading.

Veleager


	2. Allies Gained

**Chapter 2 – Allies Gained**

Wakaba Mine was an old man. It's not something he would have ever admitted before, but truthfully, he also had never felt old until recently. He had been a proper mage of a renowned mage guild, somewhat of a skirt chaser and he had enough energy and wit to butt heads with the youngest members of Fairy Tail. But now, his age was starting to catch up with him. He wasn't ancient by any means, his hair had still not started to grey and he was still an active member of the guild, but there were certain small things he noticed. He felt aches where there didn't use to be any, he complained more about everything, and not to mention his receding hairline. Most of all however, he found himself less eager to stop by the guild. Though he'd never say it out loud Wakaba felt like he would have stopped coming in every day by now if not for the fact that Macao chose him to be his advisor. In a way he was both thankful to and annoyed at that man all at the same time. Truth be told, he was a poor excuse for a Master. To begin with, whoever had to step into the role after Makarov was going to have it tough, the old man had been a father figure to the whole guild.

But even without the unfavorable comparison, Macao's tenure as the Guild Master was a complete disaster. Of course it wasn't his fault, given what he had to work with and the position the guild found itself in after the Tenrou Island incident it would have been a miracle for things to not turn out as they did. Wakaba himself protested his title of Master, more so for old rivalry's sake than any real grudge he held against his friend. None blamed him for what happened to the guild, but even knowing that did not help lift the somber atmosphere which had taken ahold of Fairy Tail.

As was usual every morning he made his way into the small tavern that served as the guild's new headquarters. Being the advisor of the Guild Master he made it a point to always be one of the first ones to show up. Sometimes even before Macao. He could hardly allow their good for nothing Guild Master make decisions all on his own. As the doors swung open Wakaba sighed and lit his cigar. At least he had a couple of drinks to look forward to.

He walked up to his favourite spot, slightly further in the back. From there he was less likely to hear Jet, Droy or Max complaining about the lack of requests on the job board. Sure they had a point, but hearing it day in and day out didn't exactly do wonders for anyone's morale.

On his way he passed by one of the larger tables with six men all clad in armor sitting at it.

"Good morning." a light-haired man with green eyes said with a slight smile as Wakaba passed by.

"Morning, morning." the older man answered as he reached for the chair at his table. Then he froze. For a brief moment he did not move. Then the cigar fell out of his mouth. Wakaba spun around with a spryness he hadn't felt in years. "Now hold up just a second! And don't you "good morning" me! Who the hell are you people?" Wakaba pointed a finger at the men who had made themselves comfortable in the middle of the tavern. "Are you from Edolas? The Magic Council? What, did they finally decide to send their pet knights after us? Losing most of our friends and our old home hasn't brought us low enough yet?! We're getting kicked out of here too?! Why not take away our legal guild status while you're at it!" as Wakaba's accusatory rant went on, the knight who greeted him retained his smile, although it had become far more sheepish. Another one of the knights was smiling at him as well, but it was more a grin akin to a wolf's snarl than a proper smile. The rest of the gathered men regarded him with disinterest and boredom if at all.

"Wakaba, please, they're guests here." Macao cut his advisor's rant short as he entered the tavern. His entrance earned him some glances and nods from the knights, as well as a somewhat muted greeting from Bedivere.

"Macao! Guests? Guests is it?!" as soon as he noticed the 4th Guild Master, Wakaba approached him somewhat aggressively. "Have you gone mad? Have you really gone as far as to turn our guild into an actual tavern now? No shame left? No more lows to sink to?" Wakaba's exaggerations continued while the knights quietly whispered among one another. Macao simply sighed in exasperation. Dealing with his old friend wasn't easy now that he was Master.

"No, I've haven't done anything to the guild. They're simply travellers who were in need of shelter last night." Macao explained the situation as tersely as he possibly could. "And watch your tone when you're talking to the Guild Master dammit!" he admonished his advisor, knowing it'd only get him more upset.

"Master my ass! I didn't vote for you so don't get all high and mighty with me!"

All the while the two argue Agravain observed them with a glint of curiosity in his eyes. Mordred seemed to be amused by the antics of the two older men, while the rest of their group did their best to pretend as if they weren't paying attention to it all.

After some ten minutes of heated arguing Wakaba seemed to settle down and accept the situation. He turned back towards the knights and nodded at them as he lit yet another cigar "Well, hmph, good morning to you then." and with that he was on his way to his usual spot once more.

Just as he was about to take a seat several more of the active guild members arrived, Max, Laki, Kinana and Reedus.

"Hey, what's with all the commotion this early?" Max asked as he strode into the tavern, the other guild members following right behind him.

"Visitors." Wakaba replied clearly still sulking over his exchange with Macao. "Oh Kinana, bring me something to drink will you?" the purple haired girl slipped behind the bar counter almost immediately and got to work on the order, as well as any subsequent demands from other members or their visitors.

"Oooh, we got foot-travellers here." Laki exclaimed as she waved at the group of knights, who acknowledge her with nods and the odd smile or two. "Hmmmh, been a while since I had the chance to draw some armor." Reedus added as he eyed the gathered knights, already opening his sketchbook.

"Yes, yes, last I remember it was around the time when Erza-" he continued speaking with pencil in hand, but swallowed his words the moment he realized how those around him would react. Graven silence enveloped the tavern, as all the members of Fairy Tail avoided eye contact with one another for a moment. Laki in particular seemed to have been shaken the most, taking off her glasses and drying them with fabric of her jacket.

The knights naturally felt they had no cause to involve themselves in the situation. The silence in the tavern would have continued for a while longer, if not for the one knight who couldn't read the room that is.

"Ehh? What's with all the gloom all of a sudden? A moment ago you were all as cheerful as Uncle Lot's court jester. Is that Erza girl some sort of heartbreaker around here?" Mordred let out a laugh akin to a cackle as she, somewhat unknowingly and perhaps uncaringly mocked the loss of companion dear to Fairy Tail.

The silence enveloped the room once more as the members of Fairy Tail were left in shock over the knight's crude remarks.

"Shut up!" Max was the first one to break the silence. Some tried to raise their voice to stop him, but even if there were attempts, they fell flat and went unheard. "What do you know?! Erza was our Queen of Fairies, our Titania. You think just because you're prancing around in some armor that you're a real knight? As far as I can tell blondy you're just some no name girl who's trying to drag people better than her through the mud. And I'm sure if Erza were here right now she'd be happy to prove as much!"

In a moment the atmosphere changed and the only one to notice and act on it was Agravain.

"Girl." Mordred repeated the word, more as a growl drenched in venom than actual human speech.

Max did not see what happened next. One moment he had been standing on his feet, throwing accusations and insults at the disrespectful lady-knight, the next he was down on the floor his knees feeling like jello and his heart beating as though it would burst out of his chest at any moment. What had brought him and everyone else back to reality in the first place was the loud metallic clang which still echoed throughout the tavern.

Between Max and Mordred stood Agravain, his sword half drawn, half still in the sheath. His body was angled slightly to the side, just enough for his own blade to catch and block Mordred's swing without him having to fully draw his sword. The blow had been aimed at Max, and would have undoubtedly drawn blood if not for Agravain's intervention. Her target had lost his footing when the two swords clashed and collapsed onto the floor.

The moment everyone realized what had just happened, the atmosphere in the room shifted once more. Panic spread through the members of Fairy Tail, with Macao almost instinctively generating his distinctive purple flame, a small orb dancing on his fingertips, aimed right at Mordred's back.

"Mordred, calm yourself." Agravain demanded in a monotone voice, not breaking eye contact with his vicious knight.

While Agravain stared intently right at her, Mordred wasn't even looking at him, instead her gaze was focused on the man behind her, Macao.

"Think that little will-o-wisp is gonna help you any old man? Try me. I'll cleave through all three of you!" Mordred's eyes were wide open and her pupils narrow, resulting in a bestial stare, intense enough that Macao found himself intimidated by it. It also took him a moment to realize that "all three of you" included her supposed companion, Agravain. That threat had been somewhat of a surprise even to the other knights. Agravain was one of the few members of the Round Table who could be said to have had a liking or at least a tolerance for the Knight of Treachery.

Things only seemed to be escalating further as the sound of yet another sword being drawn could be heard. This time it was Lancelot who brandished Arondight. However unlike Mordred and Agravain he did not bother rising from his seat. Macao prepared himself for the worst, but to his surprise Lancelot pressed the flat of his blade against Mordred's back, creating a sort of symbolic barrier between her and Macao.

"Sir Mordred, don't you think you've done quite enough?" Lancelot asked in a sincere and pleading tone, lacking any of the bite or critique Agravain's questions usually carried with them.

"Lancelot you-" Mordred snarled at him through gritted teeth, but Lancelot did not give way. He simply continued pressing his blade against Mordred's back, making his intentions more than clear. Should she move, he would become her opponent instead of Macao, Max or even Agravain.

Slowly calm set in. Not relief or comfort, but rather just simple calmness. Mordred's sword bit into Agravain's with less and less force, before finally sliding off the blade entirely, over the sheath and onto the ground. Once he was certain that Mordred had given up on aggression, Lancelot removed Arondight from her back and let it rest around his hip once more. Agravain let out a heavy sigh as he fully sheathed his sword, though he did not move from the spot just yet.

"Sir Lancelot, see that you escort Sir Mordred outside and make sure that he is well aware of what proper conduct towards one's host entails, before he's allowed inside again." as soon as Agravain uttered the instructions Lancelot rose, leading Mordred out of the guild building by her hand, almost like one would do with a little child.

With the troublemaker gone, Agravain turned towards Max, offering the young man a hand, who in turn only reluctantly accepted the help and got on his feet. Agravain wasted no time and addressed Macao and the other Fairy Tail members. "Our deepest apologies to you all. Sir Mordred… I assure you is a man, although his looks might be deceiving. It is a rather delicate subject for him, which is why he lashed out so violently. He can be difficult to control at times, but rest assured that no harm will come unto you as long as we're here. We will of course see to it that he is properly disciplined." Agravain's promise might have sounded downright impossible to guarantee, had it been uttered by anyone other than him that is. The authority he put into each of his words made it all sound incredibly matter of fact, leaving no room for deliberations on whether or not it was actually feasible. He was the sort of man who could have a thousand subordinates under him and convince the masses that he held absolute control over each thought, word or act that came from them.

"Delicate matter? You don't say! Sh- he made fun of our missing friend!" Max retorted as the rush of adrenaline in him subsided enough for him to think clearly again.

"I am aware of that much." Agravain responded. "I'll concede that Sir Mordred can be- is rather crude, but believe me when I say that in this instance he simply was not aware of the peculiarities of the situation you discussed."

Though Max seemed far from satisfied, he offered no further complaints. That did not stop the other guild members from talking however. The tavern was filled with murmurs, and even Macao found himself intently staring at Agravain and the other knights. Things were bad as it was, the last thing they needed was having a friend maimed or murdered in cold blood right in front of them.

"Such are the infuriating and willful acts of the Knight of Treachery. Please do not let his poor conduct reflect badly on us all." Gawain chimed in for the first time since the situation began to unfold. "Some of us are tied to him by blood, and all of us are bound together by our duty and knighthood. We've little love for his antics or boorish behaviour ourselves, yet we must endure them all the same."

"Indeed it is so. How sad that on the very first day we'd mistreat our hosts like this. I don't believe I could hang my head in shame any lower than this." Tristan added, the sadness in his voice rather apparent and sincere.

Though Fairy Tail wasn't willing to just forget the incident, the knights' words seemed to appease them at least enough to not see the travellers thrown onto the street or before the city guard.

"Uhm, why'd you call your co-knight one of treachery?" Laki suddenly asked, providing a much-needed change of topics.

"Ah, you see it's because Sir Mordred is treacherous." Tristan supplied the answer while Gawain nodded along "He rebelled against our King and was forever branded a traitor knight."

"But, he's still your co-knight? You didn't throw him into a criminal hotel?" Laki asked again, apparently thoroughly confused by how casual all the knights were about Mordred.

"Sir Mordred is enjoying a stay of execution you could say. The matter is rather complicated." Agravain supplied the answer nonchalantly.

"I see." though Laki accepted the explanation given, she didn't seem to be any less confused or curious about the matter.

"Okay! Drinks and food for everyone!" Kinana exclaimed all of a sudden, clearly thinking that a good meal and alcohol would lift everyone's spirits and relax the situation a bit. As she started serving table by table, more and more members of the guild showed up. All the while the knights conversed both among themselves and with the members of the guild. They shared with them the same information they shared with Macao the night prior. That they were knights from a far flung kingdom, embarked on a pilgrimage to find a sacred land, mentioned in the prophecies of their order. None of it was too far removed from the truth and the knights all did remarkably well at placing themselves in the role of a wayward pilgrim. Of course, their whole story made no mention of their King or the state he was in. Macao was the only member of Fairy Tail privy to that information and Agravain was determined to keep it so for the foreseeable feature.

"Oh. We're gonna run out of beer at this rate. Better go get some from the storage." Kinana said as she got out from behind the counter and made her way over to the storage room only to find it locked. "Huh, how odd. Master Macao? Why is the storage locked?" Kinana asked the Guild Master across the room.

"Ah that. Our guests brought some belongings with them and had nowhere to put them. They're rather valuable and personal items, so I figured it'd be for the best if I kept the room under lock for now. Here, I'll get it for you." Macao explained as he made his way across the room, key in hand.

At that moment Bedivere stood up, barring Macao's way in the process. "If it's alright I'll get the beer. There's something I need to check among my… belongings anyway." Bedivere's request was exceedingly polite, but also uncharacteristically firm, coming from the one-armed knight, as if he would not, could not, accept no for an answer.

Wordlessly, Macao handed him the key.

* * *

At the very back of the storage, on a makeshift bed unbecoming of even a beggar, lay the King of Britain. That was the true reason why Macao locked the room in the first place. Bedivere kneeled down besides his King and let out a heavy sigh. The weight of the situation they were in was just now beginning to dawn on him. His last ordeal seemed easy by comparison. Yes, he had wandered endlessly, but in the end all that had been asked of him was perseverance and to turn his sword against his former friends. Now he would have to wander once more, but also stand side by side with the knights he had made his enemies once before, some in life and some in the Divine Realm. A low laugh escaped him. Solitude seemed kinder than this. There was no Kings of Storms to face at the end of this journey, yet Bedivere still felt his heart quiver. Perhaps he was even more afraid of facing this King Arthur than the Lion King.

When Mordred had lashed out in anger, Bedivere had been helpless. He hadn't noticed what was happening until it was too late, and even if he could have somehow foreseen what would transpire he would have been helpless to do anything all the same. He had never thought of the power of Airgetlam as his own, he didn't dare to do so, especially not considering the true nature of the artifact. Yet, he missed its power now. Not for the sake of having power, but for the sake of not feeling useless. His body was that of a Servant now, stronger than it had ever been in life. Yet that all meant so little when he stood beside the other Knights of the Round Table.

Even ignoring the fact that he lacked in combat prowess compared to the other knights, Bedivere wasn't sure how to deal with some of the things that followed the incident. He didn't approve of the way Gawain and Tristan spoke of Mordred just then. That alone made him feel like a hypocrite as in life he would have been the third knight to chime in and wholeheartedly agree with the first two. However, after meeting them all in the Divine Realm he couldn't help himself but feel sympathy for Mordred. In fact he felt sympathy for all his fellow knights, more so than he ever did in life. He couldn't even bring himself to truly blame Gawain or Tristan for their judgmental words from a few hours ago. He understood them all better than he ever did before.

"I...resent you from the bottom of my heart."

Those were Gawain's parting words within the Singularity. Another small laugh escaped his lips, as if he was trying to stave off the sadness and insecurities which were setting in. The Round Table seemed like a truly absurd gathering. One knight's regret was another's envy.

He glanced down at his King, Arturia Pendragon. Unlike the night they had arrived, her face was peaceful and her breathing easy. It seemed so odd to him now that they once though this girl to be an emotionless man, or perhaps not even human. He was certain they all knew it all along. Some of the knights might have realized it sooner, others later. All of them, at some point in their lives must have learned that their King was a woman. So now, existing as Servants he was certain that all of them shared the same kind of insight. It brought him both joy and sorrow to think about it. After all, so great was the loyalty and dedication of the Knights of the Round Table that none let the secret slip, not even in private among themselves. Yet, at the same time the expectations and burden they placed on the King who could not understand humans and who in turn could not be seen as human was also their gravest sin. It was a sin they all shared, yet Bedivere felt its weight more so than any other knight. All the knights were exceptional in some manner. They all served the King to the utmost of their ability. Bedivere was never strong like Lancelot or Mordred. He wasn't the ideal of Chivalry like Gawain. Even when it came to strategy and tactics King Pellinore had him beat, and of course it was pointless to mention that when it came to matters of state, Agravain's council was all the King could ever need. All Bedivere had to offer was his loyalty and dedication. So it was he who most of all the knights should have been able to understand the King. To offer her compassion and reprieve from that harshness of the world. Yet, like all the other knights he had been blind to her suffering. But unlike the others, he had no excuse. The other knights could always let their songs of praise, their contributions to Camelot and the Kingdom of Britain absolve them of their negligence, but Bedivere had no such praise to his name and all he was left with was shame.

He slowly stood up and stepped away from Arturia. He wanted to ask for her guidance, but instead he only smiled sadly. He had no right to ask more of her, none of them did. Even if she was fast asleep and could not answer, to make demands of her even in jest or wishful thinking would have been too much to bear. It was them who would have to aid their King.

"Rest well, my King."

Bedivere retrieved a medium sized keg of ale from the storage and made his way back to the tavern. Even with only one arm at his disposal, his new body did not struggle with the weight.

The rest of the day passed by peacefully. All the active Fairy Tail members got to know the knights and of their situation. Though Agravain forbade the others from sharing anything about their King or the war in Camelot, they were free to talk of their adventures and exploits as knights. Agravain did not take part of course and spent the day talking with Macao off in a corner of the tavern instead. Lancelot and Mordred had rejoined the rest of the knights as well. Agravain made no attempt then to force Mordred to apologize, as even if he could somehow pull remorse out of the knight it would have been far from sincere. At the very least he made her promise that she'd refrain from such outbursts in the future.

Their stories gained them the curiosity if not the admiration of many Fairy Tail members. Of course some were still apprehensive about the foreign knights, particularly Max who still eyed them with distrust. Romeo as well seemed to be somewhat soured by the attention they were getting, largely due to the fact that he didn't want himself swayed by newcomers who weren't even mages that easily. Several of the Fairy Tail members bemoaned just how empty the request board was.

As the day ended and the tavern began to empty out, as the members of Fairy Tail one by one went back to their homes, the knights found themselves alone in the building. They had been allowed by Macao to sleep in the tavern until they could find accommodation of their own. Makeshift beds had been laid out for them, not unlike the one their King was resting on. The quality of their beds made little difference for the knights however, one of the perks of being a Servant.

They held a meeting, mirroring the one from the night of their arrival. Since their goal had not change, Agravain simply shared with them what he had learned throughout the day.

„The main bodies of governance here seem to be the Royalty of Fiore and the Magic Council. From what Master Macao has told me, it would seem that if what we seek is otherworldly in nature, the Magic Council is just as likely to be of use to us as the King of Fiore. However, getting an audience and being heard out by either is a different matter entirely. It would be exceedingly difficult to do so, even if we were locals, as foreigners our chances only dwindle. It appears that we will have to start the search for a path to Avalon on our own." Agravain concluded with his assessment, with the other knights voicing their agreement.

„I know not how we are going to make any money in this land without stooping to mercenary work, so for the time being we rely on the hospitality of Fairy Tail. I know some of you may consider it beneath your station, but make yourself useful and help out when you see fit. We have no riches to give them otherwise and I need not remind you how it would tarnish His Majesty's name if the Knights of the Round Table were to turn into leeches."

„Well said Sir Agravain." Tristan spoke in agreement. „There is no shame in the lowliest of labour if it's done to repay kindness and hospitality."

With the rest of the knights assenting, except Mordred who only grumbled about chores without really arguing the point, they moved onto more trivial and casual matters to once more talk the night away.

* * *

Several days passed. Fairy Tail had managed to do a single job in that timeframe, and it was for meager pay at that. The knights helped the guild where they could, but not being mages or official members of a guild meant that they couldn't really take on any requests. Not that having the knights along for a request would have helped any in the first place, considering just how few job offers were coming in for the guild in the first place.

The members were at the very least used to seeing the knights hanging around the guild. In fact seeing that the knights lived at the tavern, they were the ones to welcome the first members arriving in the morning. That usually meant Wakaba.

Individual knights had made trips to the countryside around Magnolia Town and to nearby cities as well over the past few days, sometimes accompanying Fairy Tail mages who were on the way to a job. It's not as though they expected to stumble upon Avalon while wandering through the Kingdom, but getting more familiar with the lay of the land certainly did not hurt.

It still being early morning meant that all the knights were still gathered at what had become their usual spot in the tavern. The mood at Fairy Tail had improved somewhat with the arrival of the foreigners, although the knights were hardly a replacement for their missing friends, they did make day-to-day life just a bit more interesting for everyone. Not to mention that having several sets of rather strong hands to help out with things around the tavern made it a bit easier on everyone, particularly Kinana.

„Morning." Macao greeted the guild as he entered the tavern, arriving a bit later than usual.

„Hmph, tardy Master." Wakaba commented from the back before returning to reading a magazine.

Several of the guild members and the knights replied to his greetings, with Agravain in particular getting up to approach the Guild Master. Before the two could even exchange a word however the door of the tavern slammed open.

„Morning, morning. And what a good morning it is. After all, there's nothing sweeter than the dawn of a pay-day. Ain't that right Macao?" Thibault intoned as he stepped inside, alongside two other Twilight Ogre members.

Fairy Tail had managed to keep their good mood streak going for only a couple of day. Now, several of the members looked apprehensive, some even backing away a bit as if to hide from the new arrivals. Some of the more determined and bitter ones were openly glaring at the Twilight Ogre enforcers. Macao sighed, his exhaustion felt throughout the entire room. „Has it been a month already... ?" he posed the question to himself more than anyone else.

„Indeed it has my dear Macao. And you know what that means. Time to pay up!" Thibault answered as he slammed the tip of his mace into the floor, using the loud thud to emphasize his demand. Several members of Fairy Tail flinched at the sound. Macao sighed once more as he approached the Twilight Ogre members. „Listen, we haven't had much work lately and besides we have guests right now so I'd rather not go trough this in front of them. I'd appreciate it if you gave us at least a week. We'll have the money by then." Macao tried to reason with the mace wielding man, but a part of him already knew how this was going to turn out. Or so he thought at least.

„Oh Macao Macao. But don't you know? Pay day means pay-day. And that's today! You know what happens when you forget that, eh?" as he asked he gestured to one of his guildmates to demonstrate. A diminutive man welding a hammer with a short handle but a head as big as his dwarf-like body, brought the instrument down onto a nearby chair, reducing it to firewood and splinters.

„Remember now?" Thibault asked again with a wide grin on his face.

Macao grit his teeth, but before he could offer up a response it was Agravain who spoke up from behind, getting the attention of the Twilight Ogre members off Macao for the first time since they entered.

„How rather disappointing. It seems the Kingdom of Fiore still tolerates common banditry masquerading as honest business."

„Huh? What did you just say punk?" Thibault looked over Macao's shoulder, making eye contact with Agravain. The diminutive man from before swung his hammer for a second time, now crushing a table leg and causing it to collapse to the floor.

„I am saying that if this were Britain your ilk would have been uprooted and served a swift sentence a long time ago." Agravain retorted in his usual monotone.

„Insulting your creditors now? Macao, your guild's worse by the month. You! Got! To! Learn! Some! Manners!" as he spoke he swung his massive mace back, clearly intent of swatting Macao aside. Fairy Tail's Guild Master did not flinch. No way he couldn't take one measly blow. He had to if the guild was going to survive.

Before any of that could happen however Macao found himself flung back as Agravain grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him out of the way, stepping into his spot instead. The massive spiked mace connected with the black-clad knight's head. To the disappointment of Twilight Ogre, the knight had not collapsed onto the ground, nor was there a river of blood streaming down his forehead. Agravain had taken the blow head on and seemed no worse for wear for it. He regarded Thibault with an expression stuck somewhere between boredom and disgust. The Twilight Ogre mages had their mouths agape in surprise. Before his opponent could set the mace in motion again, Agravain quite literally headbutted the weapon, causing it to fly backwards and straight into its owner's face, knocking him onto his back. Agravain proceeded to uppercut the man to Thibault's right, his armor clad first set his foe reeling back before collapsing right besides his captain. Just as his fist had risen, it now descendent upon the diminutive man, who tried to bring his hammer up as a form of defense, only to find himself wholly overwhelmed by the weight of Agravain's blow.

In the blink of an eye the three Twilight Ogre mages lay defeated on the ground. Conscious but barely able to move.

„A sword might be wasted on you in battle, but it'll serve for an execution. By the authority of His Majesty, the King of Britain, I, Sir Agravain, Adjutant to King Arthur Pendragon judge thee. Your sentence. Death." as Agravain spoke, he slowly drew his sword from its sheath.

Panic and fear had already gripped the members of Twilight Ogre who were trying to crawl away from the imposing knight who was fast approaching. All they managed to offer in response to his judgment was whimper. This time it was Macao's turn to step in. The Guild Master placed himself between Agravain and the three mages. „That's not how we do things here Sir Agravain. Not in Fiore and certainly not in Fairy Tail." Macao's hands were outstretched to his sides, barring the knight's way.

Agravain regarded Macao for a second before letting out a single breath and sheathing his sword. „Do as you wish then." he said as he stepped away from his still crawling opponents.

Macao turned to the three mages and shook his head. „Just go back to your guild..." he said before closing the door on them, the moment they were outside. Even as they retreated he could hear their curses and promises of revenge.

It took but a second for all of that to be drowned out by the collective cheers of Fairy Tail. Macao's disposition remained somewhat grim, seeing that this could only cause more trouble further down the line for them, but the rest of Fairy Tail felt far too euphoric to care about that or to not enjoy the sheer catharsis which came from seeing the Twilight Ogre thugs fleeing in abject terror. Soon the room was filled with a myriad of praises in Agravain's name.

The Knights of the Round Table joined in with some cheers of their own and faint smiles for their leader. The ever stoic Agravain found himself somewhat taken aback for this. He had always been the loathed knight of the Round Table. He was used to fear and respect, but cheers and jubilation were rather new to him. Of course the Knights of the Round Table were often welcomed with celebration, but it was rarely if ever aimed at Agravain himself. He wouldn't dwell on it for too long. He was Agravain, precisely because he was not a knight of admiration, and so it ought to stay. He approached Macao who was sitting on the floor by the tavern entrance, his back against the wall.

„I presume retribution awaits you and your guild for this defiance?" Agravain asked nonchalantly, to which Macao simply nodded. „I see. Then I apologize. It appears I differ little from Mordred. Where he let his pride blind him, I allowed my sense of justice to get the better of me. But, perhaps this occurrence was fortuitous after all." as Agravain spoke he helped Macao onto his feet.

„I have a proposal to make Master Macao. In fact I was going to suggest this from the very start, with or without this little incident. I wish to offer you aid, mine and of my fellow knights."

Macao's eyes went wide at the offer. „You're already helping around the guild though and besides... it wouldn't be right to involve outsiders in any of this." Macao replied, part of his answer coming from pride and part of it from his good nature.

„Quite the contrary. We've made ourselves part of this just now. And besides, I'm not offering pity and charity, but a pact. We, the Knights of the Round Table will ally ourselves with Fairy Tail. In exchange I would request your assistance in our search for Avalon. As difficult as it would be to gain an audience with the King or make inquiry with the Magic Council, I'm sure a Guild Master of a mage guild will find more doors open to him than a group of foreigner knights."

Macao's eyes were locked with Agravain's for several seconds before he spoke again. „Can I have some time to think about it?"

„Of course, please take your time." and with those words Agravain returned to sit at the table with the other knights.

The rest of the day passed no differently than the previous few had. The Fairy Tail members occasionally checked the request board, with a couple even going out to pursue a job. Around lunchtime Macao found himself sitting next to Wakaba, the two enjoying a couple of beers together.

„Hey Wakaba, what do you think of the knights?" Macao asked his friend without any warning.

Wakaba raised an eyebrow at his Guild Master before taking a sip of his beer. „What sort of question is that all of a sudden eh?"

„I'm asking you as my advisor what your impression of them is. Their leader, Sir Agravain made an offer of alliance. I'm wondering if it would be good for the guild to accept something like that."

„Ehhh? Alliance? What for? They're not even a mage guild. I mean, don't get me wrong, there's no doubt those guys can fight, but what do they have to gain from all this. Seems kinda fishy to me." Wakaba continued drinking as he talked, apparently not taking Macao's questions very seriously.

„They have their reasons... and I believe they're sincere. Something about that holy land of theirs. But, it's not the alliance itself that bothers me. I'm asking you what sort of people you think they are." Macao once more reiterated the question for his advisor, in part hoping that Wakaba would shut the whole thing down and that Macao wouldn't have to agonized over the answers himself.

„Hmm." for the first time since they started talking Wakaba did not answer bluntly and immediately, but rather felt silent for a moment while scratching his beard.

„I don't know."

Macao face-palmed. Why did he choose this guy to be his advisor again?

„Listen Macao, I honestly don't know what to tell you about them. They're all a bit odd to me. Not bad per se, just odd. Maybe that comes with them being foreigners and all, but I can't shake this strange feeling I have about them in my stomach. Most of the time they seem pleasant enough, but then there's that Mordred guy. He went berserk at the drop of a hat. And their leader too. Agravain? I'm not gonna lie, seeing that guy dish out a beating to those Twilight Ogre punks was the sweetest thing I've seen all year, but even after that I can't say I don't dislike the guy. Something about him just rubs me the wrong way. And I think he knows, he just doesn't care. At the end of the day, I think you should just do what you think is best for the guild."

Macao blinked at that. „What? You're trusting my decision on this?"

„Yeah yeah, don't let it get to your head. Now drink up."

And so Macao did.

* * *

The day came to an end once more and the members of Fairy Tail left one by one. The last to leave was none other than the Guild Master.

Before he did so he approached Agravain.

„Sir Agravain? After considering your offer, I would like to accept it in the name of Fairy Tail as its Guild Master." as Macao spoke the words he put forward his hand, offering it to seal the deal.

Agravain looked at him for a moment and smiled at the older man, though the face which resulted from that attempt could only be described as twisted. He accepted the Guild Master's hand.

„Very well. Consider it done. Henceforth Fairy Tail may count among its allies the Knights of the Round Table of the Kingdom of Britain."

* * *

**Author's Notes**

Can't believe I got this one out as well. I honestly expected chapter two to take far longer, however after the fairly positive reception and after I started writing the chapter, I just kept going at a much quicker pace than I had initially planned.

Speaking of initial plans, this chapter was originally going to cover a lot more ground. In fact if you take a look at the start the title of this chapter is Allies Gained. The original title was Allies Gained and Allies Returned, because it was going to go all the way to the return of the other Fairy Tail members. Somewhere in the middle of writing this chapter though I realized that it would end up way too long if I did that, and besides a lot happened in this chapter as is, so I did not feel it necessary to add to the bloat. Feel free to tell me if you want longer chapters or chapters that cover more events than this or any other modification to chapter length in general.

This is in a way the first proper chapter of the fic. Chapter 1 I was almost going to call a prologue but I decided against it because the next chapter after it followed up right away on the happenings in chapter 1 and it felt like the two weren't really disconnected enough to relegate the first chapter to being a prologue when then story directly flowed from it. When I set out to write this, I firmly imagined Bedivere as the point of view character and in a way the protagonist who was going to carry this fic, but it seems so far that he'll be sharing the spotlight with Agravain as a driving force behind the story for a while. Do tell me how you feel about that arrangement.

On the flipside, as this chapter is done earlier, I've yet to finish the Servant Profiles. I may start releasing them as they are done or become relevant, rather than in bulk. And oh, since it's not time yet to be introducing the new character and since I published this chapter earlier than planned, feel free to continue suggestion whether or not more knights should make an appearance or if the current cast is sufficient.

That's about it from me for this chapter. As previously said, all questions, critiques and comments are welcome.

Thanks for reading this far once again.

Veleager


	3. Rebuilding

**Chapter 3 - Rebuilding**

Macao came in to work at the guild as he did every morning. Nothing really changed in actuality, yet he couldn't get past the fact that he was feeling rather different that morning. He wasn't even sure if he was feeling better or worse than usual, but the feeling of change was there all the same. Although he couldn't place the sensation itself, he did know where it came from. Yesterday he had forged an official alliance with the foreigner knights. Something like that was a first in Fairy Tail history, and what's more he had done so without consulting anyone but Wakaba about it. Macao reasoned to himself that his advisor's approval was more than enough, after all it was his old friend who would be the toughest on him for any sort of decision he made while Guild Master. But of course, thoughts of how everyone would react to it weighed heavy on his mind.

When he entered the guild building Wakaba and the knights were waiting already of course. Wakaba shot his Guild Master a glance that made it all too apparent that he was already aware of the alliance. It was one person less Macao would have to tell about it, but it didn't make him any less tense. The knights for the most part seemed to be content with acting as they had for the past few days, as though nothing really change for them. It was their luxury and Macao's wish. Greetings were exchanged as was standard by now and everyone just went about their day as usual. As the members of Fairy Tail began to flood in Macao prepared to make the announcement.

Using his empty tankard he hammered its bottom against the table in front of him to get everyone's attention. That act alone was enough to reduce the guild hall to absolute silence and cause all eyes to turn towards Macao. It was rare enough for the Guild Master to make an announcement nowadays that it filled everyone with anticipation. Macao could already see it in their eyes, the faint glimmer of hope that he had news about the missing members. Internally he sighed. Of course they would think that, they were barely a guild anymore, what else was there that would be important enough to make an announcement of? Yet, he'd have to disappoint them. It was sad to think about, the alliance with the knights was cause for celebration, or at the very least, positive news and a good omen for things to come. They hadn't had those in a while, yet Macao feared that the pact would be soured by the burden of expectation alone. Still, it was his duty as Guild Master to make it known to anyone. The pact had been his doing and now he had to endure the reactions that would come.

"As of today, the Fairy Tail guild is officially allied with the Knights of the Round Table. You've treated them as our welcome guests so far and I urge you to continue to do so. They have come to Fiore in search of their sacred land Avalon, so if any of you hear something about that while out in town or on a mission, please remember it and pass it along to them." Macao spoke in a flat tone, keeping the announcement curt and without any unnecessary bells or whistles. From his seat Agravain nodded with approval, the news had been delivered not unlike how the black-clad knight would have done himself. For a moment the guild hall fell silent. Macao could sense the faint feeling of disappointment setting in for the members of his guild, some wore it plain to see on their faces, his own son Romeo most of all. Yet, the gloom lasted but for a second. The hall erupted in cheers, even some applause as several Fairy Tail members went over to the knights' table to congratulate them and express their happiness over the alliance. Macao sighed in relief and then smiled as the scene unfolded. It seemed he had been worried for no reason at all. Maybe the reaction would not have been so warm if not for Agravain's display the day before, but whatever mistrust or wariness there had been, was washed away when the leader of the knights had sent the Twilight Ogre thugs running. Macao sat back down at his seat and resumed his drinking, satisfied with his decision after all. He could only hope things wouldn't be knocked off this good course they were on anytime soon. Fairy Tail could use better times.

The commotion in the hall quieted down some, though the wizards of Fairy Tail and the knights continued talking. Then Nab Lasaro spoke up all of a sudden.

"Hey, why just an alliance? Wouldn't it be even better if they became guild members? They practically live here as is and I'm sure everyone would be happy to see them join?" he asked no one in particular, loud enough for most of those who were gathered at the tavern to hear. Immediately there were murmurs and whispers, many of the guild members were nodding in approval of the suggestion. Before anyone could voice their agreement properly however someone yelled out.

"No! No it wouldn't! So what if it's been more than six years already?! Think you can just start replacing them?!" Romeo yelled out in an accusatory tone, his hands curled into tight fists as he stared down the other wizards of Fairy Tail. All the members of the guild were silenced in shock, most of all Macao who had his mouth hanging open at his son's sudden outburst. The knights took little note, save for Agravain who merely raised an eyebrow.

Macao had already risen from his seat, planning to say something, though he himself wasn't quite sure what. Should he chastise his son? Reassure him? Put it to a vote? He felt as though there were a million and one possible answers to this and most of them were wrong. Yet before he opened his mouth to speak, Agravain stood up and resolved the issue for him.

"Though we are honoured by the offer extended to us, I'm afraid it must be declined. We are knights of Britain, loyal to His Majesty King Arthur, it would ill fit us to swear a different allegiance without good cause. That matter aside, none of us are wizards or mages and we scarcely belong in a guild as such. Rest assured that the alliance we made with Master Macao is more than sufficient and I'm certain that we all will benefit from it." with that Agravain sat down again. Silence gripped the hall once more, but only for a moment, as Romeo dashed out of the tavern before anyone could stop him or say a word. Macao watched it all unfold feeling utterly powerless to do anything about it. His son had been like that ever since the day their old members disappeared. He could understand him, he truly could, yet sometimes he wished Romeo wouldn't be so difficult. He would be back before evening he knew. This wasn't the first outburst they had seen and it probably wouldn't be the last. The young wizard would calm down by then and come back to them less hot-headed, though still in a sullen mood. He glanced over at Agravain, he wanted to thank the knight for handling the situation, though he didn't want to draw any further attention to the subject now that it had been dropped. The knight simply nodded at the Guild Master with acknowledgement and understanding, letting him rest easy. As Romeo had made his exit and the matter had been put to rest by Agravain, the wizards resumed their dialog with the knights somewhat awkwardly before it steadily returned to the jovial mood it had prior to the mention of the knights joining the guild.

Agravain rose from his seat and walked over to Macao once the tavern was filled with conversation once more. No one paid it any attention, they had gotten used to the black-clad knight and the Guild Master spending whole afternoons in conversation. Yet, this time it had been different. Rather than a whole afternoon, the two men spoke for a dozen minutes at most. Agravain returned to the table with the other knights but he did not sit down again.

"Sir Tristan. Some of the Fairy Tail wizards are about to embark on a ship to go search for their missing friends. I've offered the Guild Master to send one of you along to help, it strikes me fitting that it should be you. You've the best eyes among us after all." and you're not likely to stir up any trouble Agravain thought, but he left it unsaid.

"Ah, a sad task indeed. But I shall depart at once." Tristan stood from the table and gave his fellow knights and friends a nod so low it could count as a bow. "Take care and fare thee well my friends, until we see each other again." he said before walking away from the table. He did not walk far however as he realized that he had not the slightest idea where he was actually going. Tristan turned around again, thinking to ask Agravain when two hands grabbed ahold of him, one on each of his shoulders.

"You're with us Sir Knight!" Tristan turned once more towards the source of the loud voice, only to be greeted by two figures standing side by side. One was a rotund young man with a chicken leg in his hand, while the other was a slender ginger, his hair tied into an upright ponytail of sorts.

"Ah. It will be a pleasure my friends." Tristan said with a small bow. Jet and Droy, he recalled their names. Truly he hadn't spent much time talking with the wizards of Fairy Tail, but he was acquainted enough with everyone to put names to faces. "I promise I shall do my utmost to assist you in the task at hand and put an end to the sadness that's befallen your guild." Tristan had one hand placed on his heart as he spoke, unconsciously even, as though he were making an oath.

"That's the right attitude!" Jet exclaimed while Droy only silently looked at Tristan for a while, before quite suddenly pulling his friend aside to discuss something with him in hushed whispers.

"Say Jet. Don't you think Tristan looks… well like a womanizer? Ditch the armor for a suit and he'd fit right in with the Blue Pegasus guys." Droy looked downright nervous as he shared his thoughts with Jet. His companion gave him a somewhat confused look, but then took a quick peek at Tristan behind them.

"Well, you're right I suppose? He's got the Blue Pegasus look, but so what?" Jet asked still not quite following the same train of thought Droy had already wandered down.

"Well, if we take him along and we find everyone… what if he gets chummy with Levy?" Droy spoke as though it were the most obvious thing in the world as well as a very real and pressing concern for the two to have.

Jet only blinked at his friend for a moment with a blank face before gasping and slamming a fist into his open palm. "Damn it! You're right!" he exclaimed, abandoning the whispered tone the two had been using to communicate up to that point. They both turned towards Tristan at the same time and pointed their fingers at him in an accusatory manner.

"You stay away from Levy!" the two shouted in unison, a mix of anger and annoyance plain on their face.

"Uhm guys I don't think he even knows who Levy is…" Kinana commented from the bar, clearly embarrassed for her two guildmates.

Tristan looked at the two with his usual clam expression, though he was at a loss for words. He did not know what he did to upset them, yet he felt like he was at fault all the same.

While the seabound trio sorted themselves, Agravain was still standing before the other knights. His eyes passed over each of them as he regarded them for a brief moment. Finally his eyes settled on one particular member of the round table.

"Mordred, I'll have you accompany me. You and I have an errand to run." Agravain announced, though he did not turn to walk away just yet as he fully expected Mordred to protest.

"Eh? Why me? I'm sure Lancelot or Gawain can do just as fine." Mordred said with a hint of boredom in her voice. The truth of it was, she was simply feeling lazy and would much rather spend her day drinking at the tavern than going after some chore with Agravain.

"No, they won't do. I believe you're… most suited for the task at hand. Besides, I'm confident you'll find it agreeable. We are to pay a visit to the Twilight Ogre guild, the lair of those common bandits from yesterday. Come now, rise." with that Agravain turned around and spoke no more as he made his way towards the door of the tavern.

Mordred followed wordlessly with a smirk on her face.

* * *

Hours passed and several of the knights and members of Fairy Tail had gone their own ways, pursuing various errands. Even those who had remained at the tavern didn't seem to be too keen on staying inside.

Max, Warren, Laki, Reedus and Kinana were gathered behind the guild hall, where Lancelot and Gawain already stood, five meters apart from one another. With most of the other knights on leave, and with no tasks of their own the two agreed to a sparring match. It had been some days since they arrived in the lands of Fiore and they scarcely had the chance to practice. Once they had made their intentions clear, the wizards of Fairy Tail were all too eager to come and watch the fight.

As luck would have it, Fairy Tail's new guild building was located on the very outskirts of the town of Magnolia, leaving plenty of room for the two knights to spar without being disturbed by townsfolk. Though the wizards who came to watch them were all rather excited about the display they were sure the knights were about to put on, Lancelot and Gawain regarded each other with steely eyes and stoic expressions. The sun was approach its zenith high up in the sky when the two came at one another. There was no warning, no grand introductions or words exchange. The clang of sword on sword would be their starting bell.

The distance between them disappeared in an instant. Gawain claimed the first strike with a thrust at his opponent's head. Lancelot turned it aside deftly and with confidence, yet he did not counterattack. Blow after blow came, and the cycle repeated itself. Gawain's attacks were swifter with each exchange, but Lancelot parried each of them almost effortlessly. A diagonal cut from the hip to the shoulder. A quick thrust at the abdomen. A rising slash aimed at the throat and chin. No matter how many different venues of attack Gawain tried, they were all blocked by Arondight and the man who wielded.

Laki watched the fight with her mouth wide agape. She had though that she could commentate the friendly match, yet before she managed even one quip or remark she had been left speechless by the two knights. The other Fairy Tail wizards present for the match were watching intently, doing their best to follow each exchange, yet if they were to be honest, they really couldn't manage. Just to keep count of the number of sword clashes they had to carefully listen for the clang that followed after each one, but even then strikes and parries came one after another so fast that it was becoming difficult to differentiate individual tones. It was almost a continuous cacophony of steel on steel, without a second of silence to be found.

"Hm, Sir Gawain looks like he's doing better." Max commented casually. Although it wasn't easy to see or understand each move the knights made, it was apparent enough that Gawain was the one on the offensive, setting the pace of the fight.

"I'm not so sure." Kinana commented, causing all the other wizards to turn towards the girl with equal parts surprise and curiosity on their faces.

"Look at Sir Lancelot's legs." she told the others, while pointing at the knight.

Lancelot's legs were clad in armor, slightly bent at the knees and were positioned in some sort of stance everyone assumed. None of that was peculiar.

"Eh, what about them? Doesn't look like there's anything special going on there." Max complained, more so because he wanted to defend his own initial assessment of the situation than contradict Kinana.

"Just look." the girl answered while the others looked on.

Even after a good minute of focused observation, nothing changed about Lancelot, his stance or his legs. And that's when it clicked with Max. That was precisely the point. Nothing changed.

"Ah… he hasn't taken a single step back has he?" Max said in a low tone of voice, feeling just slightly embarrassed about how hasty he had been in his previous denial.

Kinana nodded in response. It had been the first thing that really stood out to her since the fighting began. Now that it had been pointed out, it was almost impossible to ignore it. Lancelot had refused to yield even a single step, an inch of ground to Gawain. Blow after blow came, yet Lancelot stood there as unmoving as a tree.

Though the Fairy Tail wizards could not see, Gawain was smiling through it all. Each blow he aimed at Lancelot, even when he knew that it would be deflected, made his heart leap with joy. The scene that played out before him was a familiar one. He has lost count just how many times him and Lancelot were locked in a spar just like this one. They were fellow knights, allies, rivals, and once upon a time they had been friends. Yet, in life the two had parted with scorn as bitter enemies. The same could be said of all of Camelot, and perhaps their feud had been the most emblematic, a symbol showing the true bleakness of the conflict the Round Table and the Kingdom had fallen into. Despite the freshness of those memories however, their spar right now was not soured.

It was as Tristan had told them on the night of their arrival. Their animosity and ill-will towards one another were a thing of the past. This new world was their chance to seek redemption for the sins and crimes they committed in life. To atone for the chaos they wrought and which ultimately caused the downfall of Camelot and their King. It was for that reason that Gawain stood smiling before his opponent. Yet, their unspoken reconciliation and renewed vow of friendship did nothing to lessen the ferocity of the storm of blows Gawain rained down upon his opponent. No, in fact it was precisely that earnest wish for friendship which allowed Gawain to strike at Lancelot without any apprehension or reservation.

The Sun Knight raised Excalibur Galatine up high and brought it down on Lancelot like a hammer. Although the Knight of the Lake blocked the slash, as he had with all which came before, the overhead strike was a bit different.

It was a single change yet it was enough.

Lancelot's right leg shifted and he took a step back under the weight of the blow. In the same moment Gawain advanced upon him.

The Fairy Tail wizards watched in awe. Perhaps, if fights had not been a regular thing at their guild at one point, they might have even been worried for the safety of the two knights. They had a realization then, one they wouldn't openly acknowledge. Watching Lancelot and Gawain spar reminded them of the old days, back when everyone was still there and when this sort of commotion could be heard every day, in and around the guild hall. It stirred feelings of sadness in them to think about, but luckily the fight before them was exciting enough to distract them from those thoughts.

"Do you think the knights from Edolas were like this? Or oh, what about the King of Fiore, are his guards like this?" Reedus asked the gathered wizards as he pondered the question himself.

"Who's to say? Besides, wizards are way more awesome anyway. I bet the King has a secret wizard squad as his personal guards rather than simple knights." Max answered with a shrug.

"Oh? Think you could take those two on Max?" Kinana chimed in as she glanced at the blonde wizard.

"Well… y-yes, of course." Max said, though he hardly sounded confident. Even for him it was hard to put up any sort of bravado, when the fight was taking place right in front of their eyes.

With the first crack made, all the subsequent ones came easier. Gawain had managed to force Lancelot back several more steps while the Fairy Tail wizards had been talking.

It was almost noon now.

Gawain knew, one more good hit like the first one and he could break Lancelot's guard and make him yield. All the while Lancelot had not attacked once himself yet, and Gawain was not going to let him either. He brought his sword high as he had done before and prepared another devastating overhead strike.

Ah.

It was different now.

Or perhaps it was more apt to say, that it suddenly became as it had always been.

Gawain as already committed to his blow, there was no stopping it. Inside his mind's eye, Gawain saw the scene play out in slow motion. His Galatine, loomed over Lancelot's head, its approach threatening to strike him down. Yet the knight did not fret. With the same calmness and composure he had carried throughout the match up to that point, Lancelot moved to intercept his opponent's blade. The faintest of shifts in Lancelot's stance, preparing for what's to follow, he brought up Arondight so that the sword's point was pointed towards the ground at a slight angle, not quite parallel to his body.

The two swords made contact and the clash reverberated. The sound of sword meeting sword rang out, and the shock was felt by the two men wielding them. Gawain smiled despite himself. It had been so long that he and Lancelot had the chance to spar. He had all but forgotten how brilliant his friend's swordsmanship was. And how it was that their spars usually ended.

Galatine slid down Arondight's blade, carried by the weight of Gawain's own blow. It buried itself into the ground, almost half of the blade disappearing into the earth, just before Lancelot's feet. The blow was heavy enough to throw up debris and for the onlooker mages to feel the earth shake lightly below their feet. Gawain could recover in a moment, pull Galatine from where it was embedded and strike at Lancelot once more. Yet a moment might as well been an eternity before his opponent.

As soon as Gawain's sword had cleared Arondight's edge, Lancelot moved. It was the first time in their match that the knight clad in dark armor advanced upon his opponent, and it would also be the last. Arondight's tip shot upwards, bringing the sword into a position parallel with the ground below. A single yet powerful thrust was carried by Lancelot's own advance towards Gawain. The tip of the sword caught Gawain square in the chest. The Sun Knight had no recourse to call upon and was sent flying in an instant. He crossed a dozen meters, almost flying, before crashing into the ground hard enough to create miniscule crater.

The Fairy Tail mages all collectively gasped, wincing at the display. They were used to seeing friends and comrades fight, even in a careless manner, yet that blow still seemed entirely too much. Would the other knight even rise? Was he dead?

Despite their worries, Lancelot himself seemed entirely unconcerned as he walked over to where Gawain lay. He offered his friend a hand, and the Sun Knight rose with a smile on his face. Safe for the dirt and dust which clung to his armor Gawain looked no worse for wear.

"The first bout goes to you Lancelot. Another one?" Gawain talked as he walked over to where had stood previously to retrieve Galatine from the ground. His sparring partner nodded eagerly as he assumed a stance once more.

As the shock had passed, the Fairy Tail mages offered their cheers and congratulations as they watched on, even more curious to see the second duel between the two guys.

It was noon and the sun was high in the sky.

* * *

Standing on the deck of a ship brought forth queer feelings in Tristan. He wasn't quite sure if the emotion which swelled within him was closer to nostalgia or melancholy, yet he wished that he could wretch it up all the same. He felt it sway within him with the motions of the ship, coming and going as his eyes wandered over the horizon. It was present just enough for him to be unable to ignore it, yet also transient enough for him to be unable to resolve it or give it any more thought than simple discomfort. The turmoil he felt made him look rather seasick, despite the fact that Tristan was rather used to the surges, sways and heaves of a ship.

"You alright there Tristan? Haven't found your sea legs yet?" Jet asked as he approached the knight.

The display of concern made Tristan smile as he shook his head.

"Ah, no I'm quite alright. I was just indulging my sullen thoughts. Forgive me for having worried you." Tristan apologized in his customary tone, yet rather than reassure the Fairy Tail mage, the explanation only made him frown.

"Man, it's been a couple hours now and every other word out of your mouth has been "sullen", "sad", "tragic" or an apology. Come on, liven up some. I'm sorry Droy and I had a go at you earlier, we just get paranoid with guys like you. Blue Pegasus is enough to worry about already. I'm sure this is a chore and you'd rather be at the hall with your knight buddies, but the two of us aren't that bad. Are you really feeling down all the time?" Jet asked now once more shifting back to concern as he eyed the knight for his reaction.

Although Tristan's eyes were closed his face contorted in a way that suggested both awkwardness and repentance.

"Ah, my apologies, it wasn't my intention to make it seem so. I assure you, there is nothing amiss with you or your friend. I admit I have not been the most forthcoming conversational partner, but I've not found a fault with your companionship so far." Tristan rushed to do away with any sort of affront he may have caused, not realizing that his apology only made Jet's frown deepen.

"Ah." Tristan realized his folly. Jet was clearly not looking for yet another apology.

The knight fell silent for a moment before deciding to acknowledge his own temper.

"Is life not but a tragedy? I was born a child of sadness, I knew one tragic love and I perished in treachery, loneliness and abandonment as a knight of sadness." Tristan summarized the tale of his life with a degree of dejection and detachment that made Jet blink and star at him.

"Perished? What? Okay now you're really starting to sound sulky. I can't say I know your circumstances, but just because you had it rough doesn't mean you have to let it keep you down. Look on the bright side of life and all that you know? And it's not like you're alone now. You have your other knight friends and you have Fairy Tail too now! Whatever happens, everyone's going to be there to pick you up. So instead of all the bleak stuff, give happiness a chance." Jet finished with his eyes fixated on Tristan.

Tristan pondered for a moment, his gauntlet resting at the tip of his chin.

"I do not believe my position to be a unique one. Have the stars not aligned against you as well? Are we not here, out at sea, because of a tragedy, the burden of which, you and your companions cannot part with?" Tristan's retort was not meant to be biting or scathing, yet for a moment he felt like Kay when he realized what he had said.

"Don't you dare apologize again!" Jet cut him off just as Tristan opened his mouth to speak. "Yeah… yeah you're right, things aren't rosy for Fairy Tail either. We know that. I mean, shouldn't it mean even more then coming from me? I know firsthand that things can look bad, horrible even. They can look like it's not even worth trying, but I still smile despite that. I try to laugh with everyone and keep the mood at the guild as good as it can be. Where would we be if we just sulked all day and delved on all the bad? It's… hard to find happiness I know, but it's still worth trying."

Tristan had smiled cordially as Jet spoke, yet at the end his face became a serious facade.

"Ah, but what if the tragedy is of one's own doing? If one has cast himself into the pits of despair while tightly clutching the hands of those he loves, and rather than being saved by them, they are dragged into the abyss of sorrows alongside him? No… no, it is not right for me to be joyful. . I am after all the Knight of Sadness, underserving of all but sorrow. Rejecting happiness is the one honourable thing left to me." Tristan spoke in a tone far more decisive and confident than he had at any point prior since him and the Fairy Tail mages had set out on their mission.

Jet was staring at the knight, his mouth slightly agape as he processed what he had just heard. Jet's frown had never ceased since their conversation started, yet now it became something else. Jet's expression became one of anger.

"Tristan! You can't just… that's not how…" for a moment the mage was at a loss for words as he stared at the knight, who for the first time since they began talking had opened his eyes, meeting Jet's stare with a steely and unwavering gaze.

Silence gripped the two as the tension between them grew. Jet was always a bit of an aloof man, yet in this moment he was dead serious. What Tristan said was just wrong. It wasn't right to live like that. How could anyone come up with such a cruel self-punishment? Were all the other knights messed up like that in some way? The thoughts swirled in his head as he tried to find the right words to hurl at the knight.

"Hey Jet! Jet!"

Droy approached from the other end of the ship.

"You two guys fighting? Wait! Did he make some comments about Levy again?!" Droy yelled out the question while pointing at Tristan, just as he had done earlier that day.

"Er, I don't believe I ever made any comments about Lady Levy in the first place." Tristan defended himself, his tone calm, and his eyes closed again.

"It's… fine. It's nothing Droy, don't worry. We just had a disagreement." Jet said still keeping his eyes on Tristan as his expression slowly softened going from anger towards pity. He'd have to give Tristan a piece of mind sooner or later.

"Well, should we head back? We've been out longer than usual and you know how they get when we're not back on time. Plus we could get charged more Jet! I'm going to starve if we're careless with our funds!" Droy despite his apparent fears seemed to be in higher spirits than either Jet or Tristan.

"Yeah we can head back in a moment. Nothing to see but sea in all directions. Same as usual." Jet said as he walked over to the guard railing and looked at the water below. To his surprise Tristan followed suit and stood beside him.

"This isn't your first time on a ship is it? You got experience right?" Jet asked, partially out of curiosity and partially because he wanted to distance the two from their previous conversation.

Tristan nodded as he looked up at the sail of the ship. There was one particular vessel he wished he had recalled at that moment, yet sadly, often as it was for him, other unbidden memories surfaced instead. Two ships came into his mind. Both were far less glamorous than the one he had wished to be his first association with sailing, yet they were important ships nonetheless. The first ship was a plain wooden vessel with white sails, Tristan had sailed on in order to bring Iseult to back to his uncle, King Mark, so that she may wed him and stay at his court to be his wife and Queen. The second ship was also plain, yet its sails were black. It was the ship he had sent for Iseult, so that she may come to him as he lay dying. Two ships, unremarkable in appearance, with sails of opposing colours, they were the dawn and dusk of his legend. His story truly began when he had set out to bring back Iseult and it had ended when he had bid for her to come to him.

Ah, no, that wasn't right, was it? The second ship had white sails as well. Tristan smiled despite himself. The lie had become a memory. It was only fitting after all. His yearning for Iseult, his hope that the sails would be white, those all just served to further prove his many crimes, so it was only natural for even his own recollection to turn against those things.

"It was called the Prydwen, a ship belonging to His Majesty King Arthur. I never knew a vessel so fine. It took us on many adventures and even to the otherworld, to the walls of the ever changing labyrinthine fortress Caer Sidi." Tristan spoke as he tried to recall the events at the fortress, yet they would not come to him. The memories of the fortress were shrouded in mist inside his mind, just as the realm of Annwn itself was obscured in the real world.

Jet whistled at that.

"That sounds like quite the ship. Can't say I understand a lot of what you mentioned or know anything about it, but it does sound impressive. We've got magical ships in Earthland as well, they're powered by lacrimas and can do quite a few things, artillery bombardments most of all, but I don't think we have one that could travel to other worlds. Maybe if a Celestial Wizard helped. At any rate, that ship sounds amazing. Would be cool if you guys brought it around one day."

Tristan nodded at the comments made, the two men were perhaps not fully grasping the explanations each had given for the ships, yet the conversation seemed pleasant enough for both of them.

"Lacrima, that's a lovely word I think." Tristan spoke with a low sigh. "And yes, the Prydwen was truly an amazing vessel. And even more amazing were the knights who sailed on it alongside me." he added before sinking back into thoughts and silence once more.

It was odd to recall his companions, the Knights of the Round Table. He loved them as friends, as brothers almost. Yet, at the same time, he always felt a step apart from them. He was the outsider knight, the one who came from King Mark's court. He was the one who left them before Camelot fell to ruin. Even now, being summoned as the only Archer among Sabers made him feel painfully aware of how he was the odd one out. He had even been selected for this mission, which would see him apart and away from all the other knights. Of course Tristan knew that it hadn't been intentional, Agravain bore him no grudge, and the adjutant was far too aloof to play favourites in the first place. Nevertheless it served to reinforce the otherness Tristan felt. He knew part of it was his own imagination seeing distance where there was none, yet he also believed there to be some truth to it all. He could sometimes see it in how the others treated him.

After all, when Lancelot was tried and condemned for sleeping with the Queen, Tristan had remained silent. They all knew why he had not spoken up. Tristan was no stranger to Lancelot's treason, for his own crime was of the same nature. If Tristan spoke, his choice would have been between two poisons, hypocrisy and self-serving platitudes which would appear as apologizes for his own actions rather than aid given to a friend and fellow knight. They all knew it to be so, yet when they admonished Lancelot, none spoke against Tristan. Why was that? To begin with, wasn't it absurd for a man to feel envy because he hadn't received the scorn of his peers? Yet, Tristan felt oddly estranged by it all. Lancelot's betrayal was a blow which stung, one they couldn't abide by, he had tarnished his reputation as a knight and could no longer be relied upon.

If that was the punishment for Lancelot's transgression, then what must they have thought of Tristan, the man, who was an outsider to them and whose crime was one and the same?

Did it not matter because he was from Cornwall? Because he was not of Camelot? Because it was not their King he had committed treason against?

If that fact alone saved him from their wrath and derision, then surely it must also have robbed him of their compassion and kindness in equal measure.

Tristan would have continued spiraling into his dark thoughts if something hadn't caught his attention. For the second time that day, his eyes were wide open staring. Out towards the horizon, far enough that he had to rely on the eyesight granted to him by the Archer class, Tristan noticed something on the calm surface of the ocean. Or rather he noticed someone.

It was a girl with wavy, pastel yellow-blonde hair, long enough that its ends were almost touching the water's surface. Most striking of all were her eyes, coloured a deep green and lacking pupils, two pools Tristan felt himself sinking into. She wore a frilly, pink layered robe with a red ribbon tied in a bow around her neck. She appeared to be barefoot as well. What stood out the most about her attire were the wing-like adornments just above her ears. Despite the vast distance between them, the girl seemed to be aware that Tristan could see her. She smiled at him and then sadly shook her head.

Tristan blinked once and she was gone.

The knight started forward, almost falling overboard before he braced himself on the guard railing and before Jet also caught him, placing one hand on Tristan's chest to keep him upright.

"I-I-Ise-Iseult… Iseult… Iseult…" Tristan muttered the name over and over again, shaking every time she spoke.

"T-Tristan! Tristan! You okay there?" Jet panicked when the knight almost keeled over with no warning. Droy came running as well to see what was going on.

Just as suddenly as he had fallen, Tristan rose, taking on an upright posture as he gazed out towards the horizon once more.

She was gone.

Was his mind playing tricks on him now? It couldn't have been anyone but her. She looked far too similar to his Iseult for him to put the thought to rest. If he had suddenly awoken in this strange world then perhaps Iseult too could have…

Tristan didn't follow through on the thought. It was a wicked thing of him to think. A wicked thing and a lie he knew. He had not seen Iseult. Although the resemblance was downright frightening, the girl he had seen was too short to be her. But then, who?

"Hey! Tristan! Seriously, you're giving me the creeps here." Jet's shouting finally brought Tristan back to his sense.

"Ah. My apologies… I'm well I believe. Just a spell of weakness." he said as he stepped away from the guard rail.

Jet looked at Tristan, somewhat distrusting of the idea that the knight was truly fine. He gazed out towards the sea as Tristan had done before but saw nothing. Even if there girl had still been there, she would have been too far away for Jet to make out.

"Best we go back now." Jet said.

"Yes, best we go back." Tristan echoed.

* * *

Sitting in the coach of a train evoked a rather odd feeling in Bedivere. On one hand, he had enough knowledge both from awakening in this world and from prior experiences to not be taken aback by this sort of technology, yet on the other hand it felt strange to experience it in this context. Bedivere knew of Britain, of Camelot. He also knew of Chaldea and the time they came from with technology that would put a simple locomotive to utter shame. Yet, Earthland was a strange marriage of the two. There were so many things that reminded him of the period he lived in, yet something like a train was of course wholly incompatible with that world. It was almost like understanding a language, fluently even, while also not being aware of the idioms and common expressions people used in that language. Bedivere had knowledge of the past and the future, but he always felt like Earthland could surprise him in with just how those familiar elements were arranged here.

Opposite him sat Alzack and Bisca, with the three of them returning from a mission. Or it would be more accurate to say that Alzack and Bisca were returning from a mission Bedivere had accompanied them on.

"Thank you once more for allowing me to journey with you. I hope I haven't been too much of a burden." Bedivere said as he smiled at the married couple.

Alzack returned the smile before nodding at Bedivere. "Not at all Bedivere. Honestly you ended up being a lifesaver. I don't want to think about how much of a headache the situation would have been if you hadn't been there to keep the townspeople safe while we dealt with the weretigers. You even calmed down the little girl." Alzack said before his smile took on a slightly sheepish quality.

"I'm sorry I thought you couldn't hold your own because of…" as Alzack spoke his eyes were naturally drawn to the space where Bedivere's missing arm would be, though he couldn't quite bring himself to finish the sentence.

Bedivere offered an awkward laugh in return, hoping to make Alzack less apologetic.

"It's quite alright. I am the weakest among the Knights of the Round Table after all." Bedivere assured him, basically saying that Alzack's initial assessment wasn't that far off from the truth.

"Really now? You didn't seem like it based on what Bisca told me." Alzack sounded somewhat incredulous to Bedivere's claims.

Bisca and Alzack had been fighting a streak of weretigers when two broke off and dashed past the perimeter set up and into the town proper. Alzack was left to keep the remaining beasts at bay, while Bisca chased after the two runaways, fearing the havoc they'd wreak among the unprotected civilians. Yet, by the time she had arrived she found one of the weretigers dead on the ground, and another one fending for its life at the point of Bedivere's slender sword. Before Bisca's rifle even had time to materialize in her hands the other tiger-man fell as well. It was spectacular to watch, the monster had parried one attack with its claws, only for nine wounds from thrusts the beast had missed to cover its body and drain it of its lifeblood. It was almost surreal to think the kind, and almost timid knight possessed such ferocious skill and speed. As soon as the beast hit the ground, a small girl, no older than eight, ran over and hugged the knight's leg. A child who had gotten lost in the commotion when the weretigers descended upon the village and whom Bedivere had looked after. Bedivere had somewhat fussed over the fact that he had gotten involved in the mission, albeit in an indirect way, but Alzack and Bisca seemed to be completely unbothered so he himself saw no point in pursuing the issue any further.

"Yes. You're really selling yourself short Sir Bedivere! I'm sure even Erza would have approved of your swordplay." Bisca added, aiming to both agree with her husband and to encourage the kind knight.

"Thank you for the kind words, but really I am nothing compared to Lancelot, Gawain or Mordred. Even Sir Agravain would best me." Bedivere insisted once more on what was undoubtedly the truth. Even the adjutant who had little love for combat or swordplay was a cut above Bedivere.

For a moment he fell silent, clearly carefully choosing the words he was about to speak.

"I don't mean to pry but… do you mind telling me who this Erza is? And your missing friends? I understand if it's information you cannot or will not divulge to a near stranger, but Mordred caused an incident earlier out of ignorance and I'd rather not see further insult done to you or your guild. Unintentional or otherwise." Bedivere spoke with the same composure as always, and strangely enough picking a subject clearly uncomfortable for him made him more confident in his speech rather than more reserved.

Bisca and Alzack shared a look between them before Alzack sighed and nodded.

"No it's quite alright. It's not like any of it is a secret anyway."

And so the two told Bedivere all they could about the past of Fairy Tail and the incident which took away almost everyone and everything they held dear.

They told him about Fairy Tail's status as the number one guild of Fiore. They told them about Erza, Master Makarov, Natsu, Gildarts, Lucy and everyone else. They told him about their ongoing troubles with the Magic Council. They told him about S-Class mages and S-Class trial, about Tenrou Island and how it all went wrong.

Once it was all said and done, Bedivere nodded with understanding.

"I see. I'd like to once more apologize on behalf of Sir Mordred. It was an ugly and uncalled for thing to say." Bedivere offered the apology with a slight bow towards the two Fairy Tail mages.

"It's okay. Stuff happens, people say things in the heat of the moment. Not like Mordred knew any better. Max can be a bit of a hothead himself honestly." Bisca reassured him.

"You have my sincerest wishes that you find your friends. And of course, I'll offer my aid as well. I'm sure the other knights will see it the same way." Bedivere still spoke in a tone that conveyed pure compassion.

"Thank you… it honestly means a lot Bedivere. You know, we used to be the number one guild in Fiore, and we had Tenrou, and the Three Great Magics of Fairy Tail, but none of that really matters? I honestly don't care if the guild continues to exist if they'd just return, if we could just see our friends again." Alzack spoke as he rested his head on his fist, his arm supported by his knee. Bisca had turned towards the window, averting her face from Alzack and Bedivere. Both could guess why.

The solemn conversation caused Bedivere to recall some friends of his own. Surprisingly enough it wasn't his fellow knights or Camelot he thought of, he felt like Camelot and the Round Table was all he had been thinking about recently, rather Chaldea came to mind. The last Master of humanity and his Demi-Servant. He couldn't help but wonder how those two were doing. He would be lying if he said that he hadn't hoped that he'd be able to accompany them and help them just as little longer.

Just before he could completely lose himself in his thoughts it was time for them to get off the train. They had arrived in Magnolia.

The three got up without saying a word and silently made their way out of the train.

* * *

The sky had taken on a vibrant orange tint by the time had Kinana started making her way back to the guild. At her sides were two massive bags, filled to the brim with things she had bought at the market. She didn't like being tardy, but she ended up spending a good chunk of the day watching sparring matches, meaning that all her shopping had been a last minute effort.

She felt both immense pleasure and a hint of pride that she had managed to get everything sorted despite the more than restrictive time limit. Yet, now came the less pleasant and prideful part. Walking past Twilight Ogre's guild building.

Even though walking past it on her way back to the market had always been the shortest way, Kinana avoided it like the plague, preferring to walk the long way around. The constant comments, insults and harassment she was bound to get made it so the time she would save hardly worth it. Yet, with how late it was getting, she liked the idea of not making it back to the guild before nightfall even less than she liked putting up with the Twilight Ogre thugs.

She paced herself, walking at an almost leisurely tempo up to the street where Twilight Ogre was situated. She prepared herself to power-walk past the building as quickly as possible, yet as she turned the corner and the building came into view she immediately noticed that something was off. She hastily approached the building, less out of apprehension and more out of curiosity now.

Bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun, the Twilight Ogre building stood at the very center of the street.

Or rather, it barely stood.

The decorative oni head, above the entrance was now in front of the entrance, blocking said entrance in fact. One of the two pillars which had held up the torii was shattered across the oni head, the debris making entry into the building an even greater impossibility. Kinana had to scan the building for a while before she spotted the other pillar from the torii, which had somehow been embedded into the roof of the building, knocking out and replacing one of the decorative horns which jutted out from the roof. The rearrangement of decorations aside, the building itself had several sizable holes in it, large enough for Kinana to peer in from a distance and see that the inside of the guild hall didn't look any prettier than the outside.

"Huh… did they have a guild brawl or something? I swear, these Twilight Ogre guys get scarier by the day."

Happy that she hadn't been accosted by anyone Kinana hurried off towards Fairy Tail.

* * *

By the time Alzack, Bisca and Bedivere had made it back to the guild it had already been nighttime. It had taken them one whole day for the mission, to the village and back to the guild. Bisca and Alzack did not get a moment of respite however, as their daughter ran up to them as soon as she spotted them, hugging Alzack's left leg and Bisca's right one, binding them together as though they were about to do a three-legged race.

Bedivere glanced across the guild hall taking note of everyone. Most of the Fairy Tail wizards were still there, Kinana was practically driving herself mad trying to keep all the orders at the bar straight. Mordred seemed to be in awfully good spirits, a tankard in each hand as she drank and told some tale that was interesting enough for most of the Fairy Tail mages to huddle around and listen intently, cheering and yelling at every other word that came out of the treacherous knight's mouth. Agravain was as per usual off in a corner talking with the Guild Master of Fairy Tail, while Lancelot, Tristan and Gawain sat and their usual table. Bedivere approached with a smile and greeted them as he sat down at his own usual spot.

For the first time in a while, the guild hall of Fairy Tail would stay open all night.

* * *

Well, talk about a late update.

Sorry everyone who's been following this story or who was excited about it. Essentially a mix of real life obligations, stress and general low motivation caused me to go silent for a while. The biggest trouble of all was really aligning all of the elements. Sometimes I had free time but no motivation or inspiration, at other times I had the drive to write but not the time. I've been writing this chapter for months now, adding bits and pieces when the situation allowed me, which was a rather rare occasion.

Well tonight I had somewhat of a bolt of inspiration hit me while I also had the free time to not worry about other things so I decided to pull an all nighter and knock out the last 4000 words of this chapter. I'm glad I did.

I'm not gonna be making any promises about updates to this story, just know that until I officially say I'm dropping it, it's not dropped.

I hope the chapter itself is enjoyable. This is still the "prologue" as I termed it, as I'm really limited in terms of what I can do with most of the Fairy Tail cast missing, however I tried to include some nice moments for all the knights with different groups of Fairy Tail characters (save for Agravain and Mordred, mainly because I felt their scene would have been too much of a rehash of what happened in canon. I assume the aftermath Kinana witnesses is enough for people to infer what happened there). This chapter actually ended up being a bit longer than I had planned it to. Particularly the Tristan portion ended up being much bigger. I actually planned it to just be a token scene with Tristan thinking about a thing or two, but as I wrote it, it grew into something entirely different and it's actually what gave me the push to finish this chapter and have it out tonight, or err, this morning depending on how you look at things. As I said, I don't think I'll be posting updates regularly still, but I'll try and keep the story going whenever I have the time and motivation. If I do end up abandoning it I'll post a chapter explaining just that.

That's all for now. As usual, I'd love to hear any thoughts, questions, suggestions, criticisms and anything else you have to say, either in the reviews or private messages if you prefer.

Thanks for reading.

Veleager


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